Apple's Amazing Keynote - Revenge of the iPad!

Wed, 03/02/2011 - 1:31pm — Bill Loguidice

Well, Apple did it, they actually lived up to the hype yet again. Steve Jobs coming out on stage and doing the presentation was a brilliant touch. No matter what you think of Jobs or Apple, good for him. As for the iPad 2, well, Apple didn't merely iterate slightly, they did actually make a true "2", no now all those silly rumors of an iPad 3 coming out in the fall can be put to rest. 1.3 pounds, THINNER than my iPhone 4, new A5 processor, improved graphics, dual cameras, available in black and white, AT&T and Verizon from day one, 10 hour battery life, $499 starting price (maxes out at $829 for 64GB with WiFi/3G), HDMI mirrored output up to 1080p, smart covers, etc. I think my hemming and hawing over what tablet to get was for naught as the decision has been made rather handily for me. Apple is just too far ahead of the competition at this point. Maybe that will change within a few years, but right now, all things considered, the iPad 2 is the only logical choice in tablets. It hits the US on March 11 and rolls out to 26 more countries on March 25. So, what do you guys think? Are you sold or do you think there will be better options in 2011?

The audio version of the keynote will be available in iTunes. I don't believe they're making an official video version of the keynote. You'll probably have to watch a bootleg copy. I just watched the live blogs with photos.

No question, Bill. They really know how to sell their stuff, emphasizing the fun factor. I mean, who else would spend all that time talking about the goddamn cover? You half expected it to transform into Optimus Prime and shoot a missile out of his ass.

No question, Bill. They really know how to sell their stuff, emphasizing the fun factor. I mean, who else would spend all that time talking about the goddamn cover? You half expected it to transform into Optimus Prime and shoot a missile out of his ass.

Heh, I think the cover is the perfect example of why Apple products appeal to so many people. Something like a cover would be an afterthought for 99.9% of all the other companies out there, but instead Apple over-engineers the hell out of it and actually makes it something cool and functional. Also typical Apple, unfortunately, they'll charge you through the nose for the cleverness...

I was just talking the other day about choosing between a Honeycomb tablet and an iPad and the question of cases DID come up. I was like, "one of the things in the iPad's favor is that I know I'll have dozens of cases to choose from, and I'm VERY particular about what I want out of a case". Well, short of an integrated keyboard, Apple delivered the ultimate case (for my needs) today. I *hate* putting cases/covers on my devices - my iPhone 4 is naked - this iPad 2 case is the next best thing to keeping it naked (and makes it easy to make it so at will) and quite practical.

I was impressed. Most of the changes from the iPad to the iPad 2 were leaked over the past few weeks, so there weren't any surprises.

They made some points that I have basically tossed around in my head as I have been debating tablets

1: Apps. It is going to take time to build up a decent app library for these other tablets, and they don't appear to be moving at a decent pace.
2: Copycat. Indeed - Other people are trying to take the iPad, copy it, and make it better. Apple set the standard to live up to, essentially. Unfortunately, while I would love to give someone else a chance, these companies just can't seem to get it right. There are people launching new tablets this summer, and Apple already said "Take That!" and is releasing the iPad 2 next week.
3: OS. Though I am not a huge fan of iOS in the first place, the basic operation is quite simple. I think I have outgrown the desire (and the time) to mess with "rooting" a device, jailbreaking it, adding extra things, etc. Though I fully acknowledge the advantages of doing that, I just want something that does what I need it to do. Aside from flash...from what I have seen of the 1st iPad, the 2nd one should be able to get things done. There are rumors that the OS is getting an overhaul soon. Interesting...

Other notes -

They have dropped the price of the original iPad to (16GB WiFi) to $399 and slashing the prices for other units as well. A refurbished WiFi iPad will run you $349. Notice the tense in that last sentence - they have ALREADY dropped the prices.

The video output cable works on the iPhone 4 4th Gen iPod Touch, and original iPad.